News
Movies | Written by Martin Unsworth 08/11/2015

Gunnar Hansen 1947 – 2015

Gunnar Hansen, the man who terrified a generation as the original Leatherface in Tobe Hooper’s 1973 film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, has died aged 68.

Well-known amongst fans as being a gentle giant, Icelandic-born Gunnar briefly left the acting world to focus on writing, before returning for the spoof Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers. As well as appearing in numerous horror films and documentaries, he was a popular face on the convention circuit where he was always wonderful with fans.

In 1993, Gunnar published a nonfiction travel memoir, Islands at the Edge of Time – A Journey to America’s Barrier Islands and two years ago told his version of events surrounding the film that made his name in Chain Saw Confidential.

STARBURST sends its deepest sympathies to Gunnar’s family and friends.